The present invention relates in general to a portable, electric motor driven paint mixer and more particularly to a portable, electric motor driven paint mixer which is designed to minimize accidental and/or unwanted actuation of the electric motor.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,389, which issued to C. S. Simmonds on Dec. 14, 1965, and which patent is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a portable, electric motor driven paint mixer which is intended for use primarily with mixing paint in large cans such as standard five gallon cans, or larger. The paint mixer includes a motor, a detachable shaft having a pair of folding impeller (mixing) blades and a support frame for mounting the motor on the top edge of a paint can whose contents are to be mixed. The electric motor is turned on and off by means of a toggle switch located on the top of the can.
One of the potential problems with the toggle switch as mounted on paint mixer is that if it is accidentally moved from an off position to an on position the motor will start. For safety and other reasons, this arrangement is undesirable. The present invention overcomes this problem by mounting the toggle switch in a recessed portion of a housing so that it cannot be accidently moved to an on position.
Another potential problem with the paint mixer is that if the plug on the power supply cord from the motor to the AC outlet is accidently or inadvertently pulled or kicked out from the AC outlet while the switch is in an on position and the motor is running, upon reinsertion of the plug into the outlet the motor will be reneergized and restarted immediately. For safety and other reasons, this arrangement is also undesirable. The present invention overcomes this potential problem by coupling the switch in series with a relay. If for any reason there is a power loss to the motor while the motor is on (i.e. such as by the plug being accidentally removed from the outlet) the relay will move into an open position and remain open until the switch is first moved to the off position and then moved to an on position.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved portable, electric motor driven paint mixer.
It is another object of this invention to provide a paint mixer as described above in which the likelyhood of the motor being accidentally turned on is at a minimum.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a paint mixer as described above in which the motor can only be energized by first placing the switch in an off position and then moving the switch to an on position.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustrating, a specific embodiment for practicing the invention. This embodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.